BRUINS NOTEBOOK: David Krejci fine after Thursday’s big hit.

Saturday

David Krejci, who was feared to have sustained a head injury after absorbing a hard hit on Thursday night, knew all along he had escaped significant damage.

BOSTON - As it turned out, the damage wasn’t as bad as it looked when it was sustained, but David Krejci didn’t want anyone to know about any of it.

The Bruins' center, flattened by Thomas Hickey in the last seconds of Thursday night’s game against the Islanders, looked dazed as he got to his feet, reached the bench and headed straight for the dressing room. The sight of former teammate Johnny Boychuk picking up Krejci’s teeth from the ice and delivering them to the Bruins’ bench, and Krejci’s absence for the first shift of the third period, made it seem that Krejci would be the latest Bruin to join their lengthy injury list.

The alarms were mostly false. Krejci did lose teeth, but they were replacements for teeth that were knocked out years ago. And he was just as happy to be off the ice before the Islanders knew he’d been banged up.

“I know I put my head down (after the hit, and as he left the ice) but that’s because I knew my teeth were gone and I was skating by their bench,” Krejci said. “I didn’t want (the Islanders) to chirp me, so I put my head down.”

An NHL concussion spotter, unaware that Krejci simply didn’t want the Isles to see his mouth, directed Krejci to be tested for a concussion during intermission, which caused him to miss his first third-period shift.

“You know how it is,” he said. “You get hit, you skate by the bench and you’ve got no teeth - the other team’s going to let you know. I just made sure that wouldn’t happen.

“(Concussion spotters) saw it, so I had to go through the protocol, but I knew I was fine right away.”

Press play: A defense pairing the Bruins thought they’d use from the start of the season finally made its debut in Game 26 on Saturday night against the Red Wings. Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo, an effective duo formed late last season, played together for the first time since last March 31, when Carlo sustained a season-ending ankle fracture.

“I loved playing with (Krug),” said Carlo, who returned to play on Saturday after missing nine games with an upper body injury. “I feel like we have … good chemistry on the ice. It’s a good thing we can continue to build off.”

Krug and Carlo weren’t able to build on last year’s chemistry at the start of the season because Krug missed the first 11 games with an ankle injury sustained in the Bruins’ final exhibition game. They were in the lineup at the same time for five games from Oct. 30 through Nov. 10, but because the Bruins were without defenseman Charlie McAvoy and Kevan Miller at the time, Carlo was paired with captain Zdeno Chara (who was to leave the lineup with a knee injury on Nov. 14) and Krug joined John Moore.

“I think the day we were supposed to finally play together (Nov. 14, vs. the Golden Knights) was my first game out,” said Carlo, who got hurt Nov. 10 against the Leafs.

“I think it might take a couple shifts, but we’ll start finding the chemistry we had last year. I feel like I know Torey pretty well on the ice. I definitely know his voice. It’s always fun to play with him, and I’m excited for that.”

Around the boards: Carlo’s return pushed defenseman Steven Kampfer out of the lineup. Kampfer, after sitting out three straight games, returned against the Islanders on Thursday because Miller (throat) is hurt again. … McAvoy (concussion) skated before and during Saturday’s optional morning skate, wearing a non-contact jersey, while rookie Urho Vaakanainen, also recovering from a concussion, skated after the full group. … Rookie center Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson was a healthy scratch for the second straight game. … Saturday’s game was the first of five straight against Atlantic Division opponents. By the time the stretch ends next Sunday, they’ll only have one more game left against division foes Detroit, Ottawa and Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, they’re visiting Atlantic rivals Florida (Tuesday) and Tampa Bay (Thursday) next week for the first time.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.